Ceredigion Coast
New Quay Cliffs and Bird Rock
Cliff path north from a harbour town, past a seabird colony, in the best place in Wales to see bottlenose dolphins from dry land.
- Distance
- 3.7 mi / 6 km
- Time
- 2 hr 10
- Ascent
- 230 m
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- Shape
- There and back
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Follow the coast path north-east from the harbour towards Bird Rock and Cwmtydu, turning back as suits. Steep steps in places and constant undulation.
Worth knowing
- Cardigan Bay holds the largest bottlenose dolphin population in the UK. Calm mornings from the harbour wall are as good as a boat trip.
- Bird Rock has guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes from spring into July.
- Dylan Thomas lived in New Quay and the town is generally reckoned a model for Llareggub.
What you’ll see
Dolphins in the bay, seabird ledges at Bird Rock, seals in the coves, and the harbour below.
Background
New Quay was a shipbuilding town in the nineteenth century, launching several hundred vessels from beaches that now hold only pleasure boats.